Exercising device containing rotatable weights

ABSTRACT

An exercising device is described which contains sphericallyshaped weights which are rotatable, allowing the device to be used by rolling the device along a surface such as a floor or wall in addition to lifting in the conventional manner.

United States Patent 1191 Sinyard EXERCISING DEVICE CONTAINING ROTATABLEWEIGHTS [76] Inventor: James R. Sinyard, Rt. 2, Villa Rica,

[22] Filed: Apr. 26, 1973 21 App]. N6; 354,656

[52] US. Cl 272/84, 272/57 J, 272/57 D [51] Int. Cl A63b 11/04 [58]Field of Search 272/57 1, 60, 79 R, 84;

1 280/ll.l; 16/24, 25

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Rother 280/ll.1 BR

[ Mar. 12, 1974 1 2,821,394 v 1 1951; Barbeau 272/57 J FOREIGN PATENTSOR APPLICATIONS 615,324 1/1961 Italy l6/24 Primary ExaminerRichard C.Pinkham Assistant Examiner-Joseph R. Taylor Attorney, Agent, orFirm-Jones, Thomas & Askew [5 7] ABSTRACT An exercising device isdescribed which contains spherically-shaped weights which are rotatable,allowing the device to be used by rolling the device along a surfacesuch as a floor or wall in addition to lifting in the conventionalmanner.

5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures EXERCISING DEVICE CONTAINING ROTATABLEWEIGHTS This invention relates to an improved exercising device. Morespecifically, this invention is directed to an exercising device whichcan be used either by rolling the device along a surface such as a flooror wall in any direction or by lifting the device in the manner longknown to the art of exercising.

Exercising devices in use today range from the very complex equipmentfound in gymnasiums and health spas to the simple exercising devicessuch as the dumbbell and bar-bell normally found in homes and offices.The very complex equipment has the advantage that a single piece ofequipment is capable of functioning in different ways. For example,exercises for the arms, legs, chest, and shoulders can often beperformed on a single piece of equipment. Along with the advantage ofmultiple functionality, the use of complex equipment has some seriousdrawbacks. Because of the intricate nature of the complex equipment,mechanical failure is commonplace, and it is also difficult for peopleto use the devices without proper professional instructions. The simpleexercising devices such as the dumb-bell and bar-bell are advantageousfor use in the home or office because of the size and ease of use ofsuch devices. Mechanical failure is also very seldom encountered whenusing these simple devices. However, these simple exercising deviceshave normally been used only for a limited number of exercises and theexercises have normally entailed lifting the devices.

Efforts have been made to modify the simple exercising devices such asthe dumb-bell and bar-bell in order to make the devices morefunctionalwith regard to the number and type of exercises for which thedevices can be used. For example, U. S. Pat. No. 1,438,804, U. S. Pat.No. 2,821,394, and U. S. Pat. No. 3,134,590 all disclose simpleexercising devices in which rotatable discs are attached to the ends ofa handle. Exercises that do not require lifting can be performed bypushing these devices along a surface such as a floor or wall. Becausethe edges of the discs are in one plane, however, it is difficult tochange the. direction in which the devicesare being pushed withoutlifting the devices off the surface and turning the devices in thedesired direction. 1

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide animproved exercising device of the dumbbell type. v

It is another object of the present invention to provide an exercisingdevice of the dumb-bell type that is capable of undergoingomnidirectional movement after the device comes into contact with asurface such as a floor or wall, capable of being used in exercisesrequiring lifting and capable of being altered as to weight.

These objects and other features and advantages of the present inventionwill be more clearly understood upon consideration of the followingspecification and the accompanying drawing pertaining to a disclosedembodiment of the invention, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top view of an exercising device constructed in accordancewith the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view, partly in section, taken along line 2-2 of theexercising'device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view, partly in section, of an altemative embodiment ofan exercising device constructed in accordance with the presentinvention.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided anexercising device comprising a handle, a hemispherically-shaped cupattached to each end of the handle, and a spherically-shaped weightcontained within each cup. The term hemispherically-shaped cup, bothhere and throughout the specification, refers either to a cup that is inthe shape of a hemisphere in that the side walls of the cup extendexactly to the greatest circumferential distance around the cup or to acup which the side walls extend past the greatest circumfcrentialdistance around the cup. Each spherically-shaped weight forms auniversal joint with the hemispherically-shaped cup, allowing the weightto rotate freely in any direction. The universal action obtained withthis particular, construction allows the exercising device to be pushedin any direction along a surfac such as a floor or wall.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown anexercising device 10 constructed in accordance with the preferredembodiments of the present invention in which spherically-shaped weights11 are held within hemispherically-shaped cups 12 attached to the endsof handle 13. The inside surfaces of cups 12 have small nodes 14projecting above the inside surfaces of the cups 125 and the nodes 14support the weights 11 away from the surfaces and keep the weights 11within the cups 12. Projecting through holes 17 immediately opposite theopenings for the weights 11 are extractorslS which serve to force theweights 11 out of cups 12 when changing weights.

The spherically-shaped weights ll useful in the present invention can beof any suitable composition and construction. Preferably the weights 11are made of plastic and have holes into which metal plugs can beinserted in order to increase the weight. In this manner a weight 11 ofa given circumference can have various weights, depending upon theamount of metal inserted into the holes. Of course, the weights 11 canbe solid plastic, solid metal, plastic-coated metal, and the like. Thespherically-shaped weights 1! should have a smooth and polished finishin order to decrease the friction between the weights 11 and the nodes14 and also between the weights 1 l and a surface when the exercisingdevice is used by pushing along the surface.

The hemispherically-shaped cups 12 are preferably either molded hardrubber or plastic but maybe any suitable material that is hard andresilient. The cups 12 can be attached to handle 13 by any suitablemeans, but preferably the cups 12 and handle 13 are molded as a singlepiece, resulting in a construction that is sturdy and resistant todamage. As shown in FIG. 2, the

rims of Cups 12 preferably extend beyond the greatest circumferentialdistance around the cup, and the circumference of each of the rims isless than the circumference of each of weights 11. The cups 12 must haverims that are somewhat elastic and capable of expanding to allow theweights 11 to fit into the cups l2 and then retract. The rims can thenpartially surround and hold the weights 11 within the cups 12. I

Within the cups 12 are a number of nodes 14 that project above theinside surface of the cups l2 and support the weights 11 away from the:surface of the cups 12. By supporting the weights 11 in this manner, thefriction created between the cups l2 and weights 11 when the weights llrotate is minimized. The nodes 14 are all the same height and the top ofall the nodes form a hemisphe'rically-shaped surface with a diameterequal to or slightly larger than the diameter of the spherically-shapedweights 11, allowing the weights 11 to rotate with ease within the cups12. As shown in FIG. 2 there are some nodes very near the rim of cupsl2, and these nodes tend to hold the weights 11 within the cups 12because these nodes are at positions on the inside surfaces of cups 12wherein the circumference parallel to the rims is smaller than thecircumference of weights 1 1. The nodes 14 are also positioned at adistance from extractors 15 such that there is no interference betweenthe nodes 14 and extractors 15. Preferably, nodes 14 are produced bymolding at the same time the cups 12'and handle 13 are molded as asingle piece in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, although the nodes 14 can be individually made and attachedin any suitable manner to the inside surfaces of cups 12.

The handle 13 can be of any suitable material, but preferably the handle13 is of the same preferred composition as the cups 12, being eitherhard rubber or plastic. Handle 13 can be of any cross-sectional shape,including round, square, oval, and irregular, and preferably has agripping area 16 formed by a series of grooves within the surface. Thelength of the handle 13 can vary, depending upon the particular use forthe exercising device. For example, if the exercising device is intendedfor use in exercises that require both hands, such as the exercisesnormally performed with a large bar-bell, the handle 13 will berelatively long, that is,

from about 24 inches to about 84 inches. If the exercising device isintended for use in exercises that require only one hand, such as theexercises normally performed with a small dumb-bell, the handle 13 willbe relatively short, that is, from about 8 inches to about 20 inches.

The extractors 15 that project through holes 17 in the walls of cups 12are preferably of a very stiff material such as metal, hard rubber,plastic and the like. Preferably the cxtractors 15 are l-shaped plugs asshown in FIG. 2 in which both ends of the plugs are wider than the holes17 in order to prevent the plugs from becoming disengaged from the cups12. The ends of the plugs that are inside the cups 12 should have athickness which is less than the height of nodes 14, allowing theweights 11 to rotate freely without interference from the plugs. Theplugs should be located on the cups 12 immediately opposite the rimsthrough which the weights 11 are inserted in order to allow pressure tobe asserted against the weights 11 in a direction perpendicular to theplane formed by the rims of cups 12. While the weights 11 are within thecups 12, the ends of plugs within cups 12 remain between weights l1 andthe inside surfaces of cups 12 and do not interfere with the rotation ofweights 11. Of course, the extractors 15 can be of other suitable shapesand designs other than I-shaped plugs. In order to use the extractors 15to remove weights 11 from cups 12, pressure is applied to the ends ofextractors 15 outside cups 12 in a direction towards the center of cupsl2, and the resulting pressure applied to the weights 11 causes theweights to be pushed past the elastic rim and be removed from the cups.

When preparing to use the exercising device 10, the proper weights 11for the specific exercise are chosen and pressed through the openings incups 12 until the rims snaparound weights 11, holding the weightssecurely in place. If the device is to be used for performing exercisesin which the device is to be lifted, the exercises are performed in thenormal manner. If the device is to be used for performing exercises inwhich the device is in contact with a surface such as a floor or wall,the device is positioned so that the weights 1.1 are in contact with thesurface. Preferably, the rims of the cups 12 should be parallel to thesurface in order to evenly distribute the weight on nodes 14. Theexercise can be performed without lifting the device off the surfacebecause the weights 11 are freely rotatable in any direction. Afterfinishing an exercise, the weights 11 can be removed by applyingpressure to the plugs 15 in order to snap the weights 11 out of cups 12.

An alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 3and is directed to another means of retaining the spherically-shapedweights within cups 12. The cups 12 are hemispheres and have side wallsthat extend exactly to the greatest circumferential distance around thecups 12. The rims of cups 12 have a diameter that is greater than thediameter of the weights 1 1 in order to allow the weights 1 1 to beplaced in the cups 12 without'expandin the rims. In the rim of each cup12 there are three sockets 18 (only two of which are shown) forreceiving individual retention members 19 that are arcuate and thatextend around a portion of each weight 11 to hold the weight 11 withinthe cup 12. Of course, more than three sockets 18 can be used ifdesired. The retention members 19 can be held to the cups 12 byconnector 20. Instead of having individual retention members 19 areshown in the portion of FIG. 3 that is in section, theexercising devicecould have ring members 21 in which the largest diameter is equal to thediameter of cups 12 and the smallest diameter is less than the diameterof weights 11. The

ring members 21 can be held to the cups 12 by means of connectors 20 orany other suitable means.

Another alternative embodiment of the present invention is directed to ameans for attaching the exercising device to the foot so that exercisesinvolving the use of the leg muscles can be performed. A strap or othersuitable holding member can be attached at the points at each end of thehandle 13 where the handle 13 contacts the underside of the cups 12opposite the openings for the weights 11. The foot can be insertedbetween the handle 13 and the strap and leg exercises performed in thenormal manner. Of course, it is possible to attach the exercising devicedirectly to the bottom of a shoe to be worn during exercising. Theexercising device can be attached to the shoe by any conventional meanssuch as screws, adhesives, and thelike.

The invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understoodfrom the foregoing description and it will be apparent that variouschanges may be made in the form, constructiomand arrangement of theparts of the invention without departing from the spirit and scopethereof or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the embodimentshereinbefore described being merely for purposes of illustration.

What is claimed is:

1. An exercising device comprising a generally rectilinear handle, ahemispherically-shaped cup attached to each end of said handle with theopenings of both cups facing in the same direction, a spherically-shapedweight contained within each of said cups, and means for retaining eachof said weights within its cup whereby each weight can rotate in anydirection, the

longitudinal axis of said handle passing generally through the centerportion of each of said sphericallyshaped weights.

2. An exercising device as in claim 1, wherein a plurality of nodesproject above the inside surface of each of said cups in order tosupport each of said weights away from the surface of its cup.

3. An exercising device as in claim 1, wherein an extractor for removingits weight from each cup extends through a hole in each of said cups,each hole being opposite the opening formed by the rim in each cup foreach weight.

within each rim.

1. An exercising device comprising a generally rectilinear handle, ahemispherically-shaped cup attached to each end of said handle with theopenings of both cups facing in the same direction, a spherically-shapedweight contained within each of said cups, and means for retaining eachof said weights within its cup whereby each weight can rotate in anydirection, the longitudinal axis of said handle passing generallythrough the center portion of each of said spherically-shaped weights.2. An exercising device as in claim 1, wherein a plurality of nodesproject above the inside surface of each of said cups in order tosupport each of said weights away from the surface of its cup.
 3. Anexercising device as in claim 1, wherein an extractor for removing itsweight from each cup extends through a hole in each of said cups, eachhole being opposite the opening formed by the rim in each cup for eachweight.
 4. An exercising device as in claim 1, wherein the means forretaining each weight within each cup is the rim of each cup whichextends beyond the greatest circumferential distance around each cup andeach rim has a circumference which is smaller than the circumference ofeach weight.
 5. An exercising device as in claim 1, wherein the meansfor retaining each weight within each cup is a plurality of retentionmembers which are attached to the rim of each cup by means of aplurality of sockets within each rim.